What is the threshold at which a school gets community eligibility for FARMs?

[Anonymous]

So a lot of DCPS schools are classified as "99% FARMs" because the percentage of families qualifying for Free and Reduced price Meals is pretty high and the school therefore has "community eligibility" for Free and Reduced price Meals. This means all kids gets free meals and no one at the school has to prove eligibility. But the rate of families who would actually qualify certainly isn't 99% at a number of these schools. Does anyone know what the threshold is and how DCPS determines it if none of the families are actually applying for reduced price meals? 40% 60% 80%?

Just curious, this is coming up in another thread. And I wonder if this "99% FARMs" categorization scares some people away from schools that aren't really 99% FARMs.

[Anonymous]

My take on it is this, the non-farm population will not have enough families to justify not making the school FARM based. Therfore, it's just better not you have the middle income familes fill out the paperwork when it wouldn't be worth the time.

[Anonymous]

I don't think there is a specific threshhold. DC just puts certain programs in that category (based on whatever criteria they use--maybe income level within that census tract or other things that measure poverty) and then they don't collect the forms. Everyone gets a free meal. Therefore, they don't know. A school could be 80% FARMs and still be listed as 99% because DC has decided to give everyone a free meal and not make them apply.

[Anonymous]

It's based on the percentage of students who are federally direct-certified as low-income (i.e. students who already receive SNAP or TANF assistance). Schools with more than 40 percent of enrolled students identified are eligible. Schools may decide to opt-in and provide "free" meals for all students, or continue to collect applications and identify each student individually.

[Anonymous]

PP here: FDC is set to replace F/RPL as the categorical indicator of poverty status in schools. F/RPL was self-reported data and severely over-stated.

[Anonymous]

There is a threshold..I just don't remember the amount...Check Dept of Education for the exact number ED.GOV

[Anonymous]

It's also a key in making DC test scores look better this year. Many children are now classified as poor that weren't before, yet the achievement gap still grew. Funny that.

[Anonymous]

A school gets Title I status and Federal funding when the school hits about 40% free/reduced lunch. It's usually calculated using an average of the last 3 years.

[Anonymous]

There's also an advantage is being designated a highly populated FARM school. Just ask those schools who are grant winners.

[Anonymous]

A core question here is whether DCPS, in materials stating that a school is "99% FARMS," e.g., on the profiles website, is just going with Title I status for many DCPS schools, which is similar but simply not the same thing.

The prior discussion in another thread of whether there are more than 1 in 100 kids who are not poor in many schools seems to indicate DCPS is taking some kind of shortcuts toward calling schools "99% FARMS." Why aren't there more 96% FARMS or 98% or 91% FARMS schools in the listings...? I just am skeptical they are counting this out individually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's also an advantage is being designated a highly populated FARM school. Just ask those schools who are grant winners.

We are currently at a FARM school and love the free breakfast, lunch and low aftercase cost. However, we are active in the school and donate a good amount.

[Anonymous]

I seem to recall it used to be that when we were touring PS programs in 2011, 80% FARMs was the threshold where they stopped bothering to make anyone pay for lunch -- it just wasn't worth the administrative work to collect from the 20% who could pay.

My daughter's school is a community eligibility school that's listed as 99% FARMs, but I am fairly certain it's in the mid-80s.

The 99% FARMs number is a placeholder; I'd much rather DCPS used something like "N/A" on the profiles of community eligibility schools, b/c I think putting in a fake number of 99% is misleading.

[Anonymous]

Agree - 99% is misrepresentative

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A school gets Title I status and Federal funding when the school hits about 40% free/reduced lunch. It's usually calculated using an average of the last 3 years.

Yes, but Title I status doesn't necessarily mean that everyone in the school receives free/reduced meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I seem to recall it used to be that when we were touring PS programs in 2011, 80% FARMs was the threshold where they stopped bothering to make anyone pay for lunch -- it just wasn't worth the administrative work to collect from the 20% who could pay.

My daughter's school is a community eligibility school that's listed as 99% FARMs, but I am fairly certain it's in the mid-80s.

The 99% FARMs number is a placeholder; I'd much rather DCPS used something like "N/A" on the profiles of community eligibility schools, b/c I think putting in a fake number of 99% is misleading.

No, because there are schools that are in the 90s but not 99%. They only don't collect for the 99% schools.